Massandra Palace in Crimea: history, characteristics, where is it and how to get there?

Massandra Palace is one of the most famous sights of the Crimean peninsula. It is located on the territory of the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve. In addition to the Massandra Palace, it also includes the Vorontsov Palace. The palace got its name from the village of Massandra, which is located nearby.

The territory on which the palace and the village of Massandra are located has been inhabited since the XIV century. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of Taurus settlements dating from this period, and a temple built by the Greeks a little later than the settlement. Until 1783, the Crimean peninsula was ruled by the Giray khans' dynasty and was a separate state. It is interesting that in the works of the last Khan of Crimea-Girey there are references to the abandoned settlement of Marsanda. By the time of the annexation of the territory of the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian Empire, the territory that is now occupied by the Alupka Museum-Reserve was in a state of disrepair.

After several unsuccessful attempts to give the territory into economic hands, they decided to make the Imperial Nikitsky Botanical Garden there. At the same time, the territory of the village of Marsanda is being sold. Sofia Konstantinovna Pototskaya became the owner. She came up with the idea to build on the site of the fishing village of Yalta the city of Sofiopolis, which would become the center of the entire southern coast. However, this idea was not destined to come true. After her death, the territory went to her daughter Olga Naryshkina, who in 1822 invited the English gardener Karl Kebach. He laid out a garden, paved paths and built alleys. O.S.Naryshkina sold the land to Alexandra Vasilyevna Branitskaya, who was the mother-in-law of Prince Semyon Mikhailovich Vorontsov.

The history of the palace begins in 1881, when Prince Vorontsov decided to build himself a house next to the church. The design and implementation of the project was entrusted to the architect Etienne Bouchard. The exterior of the building resembled austere knightly castles. And the style of architecture belongs to the late Renaissance. But Prince Vorontsov was not destined to see the completion of the work. After his death, construction ceased.

A new round in the history of the palace began in 1889, when it was acquired by the Department for the needs of Alexander III. The famous sculptor A.I. Terebenev was involved in assessing the condition of the building. He left a short note in which he noted that it was a two-story building with a partially made basement and a galvanized roof with dormers. Local limestone rocks were used as material. Wooden and iron beams were made throughout the premises. Alexander Ivanovich also noted that the entire building has very good masonry.

Further construction was continued according to the drawings of the Russian architect Maximilian Yegorovich Mesmakher. Preserving the layout and style of the building, he added more decor, thereby turning the knight's castle into a teremok. Construction continued until 1902.

In 1903, Nicholas II became interested in the proposal to make a wine-making center in Massandra. So the Massandra Palace became a traveling palace. It was used by members of the royal family to rest or to hunt. In this regard, the interior decoration was rather modest, there were no additional buildings necessary for a long stay.

After 1917, the territories were taken over by the new government. The construction of the palace continued and was completed in 1921. The temple was demolished, the oaks were destroyed, the layout of the park was changed, and the source with the reservoir dried up. The palace complex was converted into a sanatorium "Proletarian Health" for patients with tuberculosis. The sanatorium ceased to exist with the outbreak of the war.

In 1948, the entire territory and buildings were converted into a state dacha for the country's top officials.

The status of a cultural object of the Massandra Palace was returned in the 90s of the last century. To restore the exposition of the times of Alexander III, the palace complex was transferred to the museum association “Palaces and Parks of the Southern Coast of Crimea”.

Since 2014, the palace complex has been under the jurisdiction of the Administrative Department of the President of the Russian Federation.

In 2017, a monument to Alexander III was erected on the territory of the complex.

Most of the Romanov household items were destroyed during the revolution. However, built-in furniture, mirrors, handmade chandeliers and a fireplace in the living room, made from a single piece of marble, have survived. The rest of the interior was recreated using household items, furniture, paintings and graphics of the Alupka Foundation. Some of the items came to this fund from the southern estates of the Romanovs and the State Museum Fund. There is now a museum inside the palace.

Features of the interiors of the Massandra Palace:

• in accordance with the fashion of the second half of the 19th century, a combination of various styles was used when creating interiors;
• each room has its own personality;
• in the interior, the individual preferences of Alexander III can be traced (he said that it is much easier for him to be in small, cozy rooms).

Acquaintance with the interior of the palace begins from the lobby. The entire decoration of the premises is made in the Romanesque style, which was widespread in France in the X-XIII centuries. The walls of the room are visually divided into two parts: the upper (decorated with artistic painting) and the lower. In contrast to the traditional wood décor, the lower part of the walls was tiled with ceramic tiles with a cool blue pattern. This was done not only for aesthetic reasons, but also based on the practicality of this cladding option: ceramic plates do not heat up and maintain a cool temperature in the room. To prevent direct sunlight from entering the room, colored glass is inserted into the windows and doors. The floor is covered with Metlakh tiles, and the ceiling is decorated with ornaments. Doors, window frames, stair railings and panel edges are all made of wood. The room is divided by a wide arch.

The next room was set aside for a billiard room. It is made in the English style. The "tone" of the interior is set by a large corner fireplace, which is finished with mahogany paneling and embossed red bronze. The lower part of the walls is finished with oak panels and the ceiling is stucco in the English style of the 16th century. There is a kind of stucco pattern under the ceiling. There are paintings on the walls. The billiard room is divided into two parts. One of them housed an art gallery and windows to the garden, while the other had billiard tables and had an exit to the front dining room.

The main dining room is designed in the style of Louis XIII. The interior of the room has something in common with the general view of the building. A lot of bog oak-colored wood was used in its creation. As in the rest of the rooms, the walls are "divided" into two parts. The lower part is finished with wood panels with carved plant motifs, the upper part is covered with artistic painting. The interior has notes of knightly motives. The beamed ceiling enhances this feeling. This interesting artistic solution consists in the fact that noble wood beams were attached to the "main" ceiling, and the gaps between them were filled with painting. The room is divided into two parts: the first part - the passage between the billiard room and the dining room - was called a service set. It features a large fireplace made of carved wood and majolica slabs. The meal took place in a large room with five windows and built-in sideboards made of wood with baroque carvings. The interior of the dining room was supplemented with art objects: landscapes and still lifes of the Crimean peninsula, Japanese earthenware vases and sets.

In addition to the dining room, billiard room and vestibule, there was a kitchen and a cellar on the ground floor. Since the stops at the palace did not imply a long stay, the kitchen was equipped with only the most necessary things for quick cooking.

Acquaintance with the interiors of the second floor begins from the lobby. This is a small room with a minimum of necessary pieces of furniture: armchairs, a coat rack and a mirror. The lower part of the walls is finished with wood paneling, while the upper part is painted with a brick-red pattern. The mirror is decorated with an oak frame, and the hanger is decorated with ornaments made using the burning technique. From the lobby you can go to the reception rooms of the Emperor and Empress. They are located in different parts of the building. You can also get there by the spiral staircases in the towers.

The interior of the living room of the emperor is made in the jacob style and is notable for its severity. There is not much furniture in the room: a console mirror, a bookcase.All furniture and wood finishes are polished mahogany. Gilded bronze was used as another main finishing material. According to the original plan, the emperor's reception room was to be decorated with fabric in light green tones with plant motifs, and the ceiling was supposed to be decorated with stucco moldings of multi-layer painting. These plans were not destined to come true, and today the living room is presented in golden-pink tones. The peculiarity of this room is in medallions with monograms of Alexander III and crowns. Medallions are located at the corners of the ceiling.

The interior of the Empress's reception room is softer and more comfortable. This is a small room. A lot of wood was used for its decoration: more than half of all walls are finished with wood paneling. The rest of the walls are painted in shades of coffee and coffee with milk. The ceiling is made in the same colors and decorated with stucco. The peculiarity of this room is a glazed wall. It is worth mentioning the grill of the ventilation system: it completely repeats the pattern of the stucco molding, which is why it is almost invisible. Interestingly, the chandelier from this room has survived. It dates back to the end of the 19th century and has been returned to its historical place today.

In addition to the reception rooms, the layout of the palace included two offices for Their Majesties.

The emperor's office was luxurious. Walnut was used as a material for decorating the room and creating furniture. One of the walls has a large window, which is faced with wood panels. The room has a fireplace, a baroque mirror in a gilded frame weighs above it, the mirror is complemented by candelabra and a clock dating from the 8th century. According to the original plan, the walls were to be decorated with light green silk fabric, however, during the restoration of the interior, the walls were decorated with artistic painting in peach and powdery pink. The peculiarity of the room is in the ceiling. A wide strip of stucco moldings was made on it, repeating the shape of the ceiling, and inlaid with gilding.

The Empress's study looks less luxurious. The room is always flooded with light. This feeling is created by the light mignonette trim and four large windows. The only decoration on the ceiling is a chandelier. Plant motifs became the main idea for its creation, and gilded bronze was used as a material. The floor is made of inlaid wood and is limited by a wide plinth. Its color matches the color of the marble fireplace (chocolate). The walls are decorated with portraits of members of the royal family. The interior of the room reflects the traditions of the classicism style.

Bedroom of Their Majesties. The main idea was to create a soft, relaxing atmosphere. For this, it was planned to decorate the walls with light beige fabric, but in the end, the walls were decorated with paintings in pink and gold tones. Colored windows were used to create diffused light. The royal bedroom has access to a wide balcony. The entire ceiling is covered with paintings. The peculiarity of the room is in the golden curtain of an alcove with a lambrequin. The color scheme of its pattern echoes the color of furniture, walls and balcony decorations.

There are also two bathrooms: for the emperor and the empress. The Emperor's bathroom is decorated with walnut panels and Dutch ceramics, depicting landscapes. The Empress's quarters were decorated with mahogany.

The adjacent park can be divided into two parts: the upper garden and the park itself.

The garden is located close to the palace. On its territory, paths are broken, and on the north side a wall is built that reliably protects it from possible rock falls. Laurel and thuja bushes are planted along the paths. The peculiarity of the park lies in the fact that, in addition to the grapes, currants and gooseberries widely known in Russia, orange, lemon and olive trees were planted.After the court gardener Encke arrived in Massandra, whole alleys of conifers and roses were planted. The garden is home to exotic trees such as satin cedar and Arizona cypress, oleanders, palms, fir and magnolias. While in the main territory of the park, century-old oaks and beech grew.

The territory of the lower park exceeds 30 hectares. The landscape is a mixture of natural and artificially created landscape and plant objects.

Massandra Park was famous for its roses, which were delivered to the courtyard. Therefore, until 1917, considerable attention was paid to it, and plants (and especially roses) for the park were brought from all over the world.

The park was badly damaged during the First World War. All vacant territories were planted with tobacco. After the arrival of Soviet power, the park was completely abandoned. Many rare trees withered without maintenance and regular watering. In addition, the territory that was left unattended was taken apart by peasants for vegetable gardens. Most of the park trees were cut down.

On the territory of the palace complex, permanent excursions are held, which can be visited from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and until 20:00 on weekends. The expositions are dedicated to the life of Alexander III and the royal family, I. V. Stalin, and the life of Soviet people.

• Tour of the palace. It is dedicated to Alexander III and runs constantly. The price for an adult is about 300 rubles, for a child - about 150 rubles.
• Guided tour of the park. It is held only for groups of 15 people and by prior arrangement. The total price will be 1500 rubles.
• Group excursion to the expositions of the Massandra Palace. A preliminary application is required and the number of visitors is at least 15. The total price is 4500 rubles.
• Group tour of the palace grounds dedicated to its flora and fauna. It is held for groups of 15 people or more upon prior request. The total cost is 900 rubles.
• Excursion dedicated to the flora and fauna of the park. Ticket price - 100 rubles.
• Excursion "How We Lived ...". It is dedicated to the life of Soviet people and is held on the third floor of the building. There is an exposition of paintings by Soviet artists.
• Also on the third floor there is a separate exhibition dedicated to the coronation of Alexander III.
• Tour of the palace grounds. She is tied to the life and work of Stalin.
• There is an opportunity to take an electric car tour. The price of one ticket will be 800 rubles.

The ticket price for privileged categories has been reduced. Visitors have the option to take an audio guide. This service costs 70 rubles.

There are souvenir shops and summer cafes on the territory of the complex.

The exact address of the palace: st. Embankment, 2, Massandra village, Republic of Crimea.

Depending on the point of departure, there are three options for how to get to the place.

• From Yalta there is a trolleybus number 2 and a bus number 29. You need to get to the final stop "Massandra Palace" and take a 15-minute walk along the asphalt road to the palace.
• From Simferopol. You need to take a bus "Simferopol - Yalta" and then get there using trolleybus No. 2 and bus No. 29. The bus "Simferopol - Yalta" along the route stops at the stop "Massandra Palace", but it is far enough to go from there.
• From Sevastopol. First you need to get to Yalta by bus "Sevastopol - Yalta", and then by trolleybus or bus.

About the Massandra Palace, a tour of the Massandra Palace and Massandra Park in the next video.